‘In God We Trust’ becomes nation’s motto, July 30, 1956

On this day in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law a bill declaring “In God We Trust” to become the nation’s official motto. Under the legislation, Congress further mandated that the phrase be printed (in capital letters) on every domination of U.S. paper currency.

It serves as a replacement and, in some cases, an alternative, to an earlier unofficial Latin motto of E pluribus unum (“Out of Many One”), which was adopted when the Second Confederation Congress created the Great Seal of the United States in 1782.

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The motto first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864, during the Civil War, when religious sentiment reached a peak, according to the historical association of the U.S. Treasury. At a Flag Day speech in 1954, Eisenhower discussed why he had wanted to include “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”

Rep. Charles Edward Bennett (D-Fla.) cited the Cold War when he introduced the bill in the House, saying: “In these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom.”

In 1908, Congress had mandated that the phrase be printed on all coins upon which it had previously appeared. This decision was motivated after a public outcry following the release of a $20 coin which did not bear the motto. It has been in continuous use on 1-cent coin since 1909, and on the 10-cent coin since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins and silver dollar coins, half-dollar coins and quarter-dollar coins struck since July 1, 1908. It disappeared from 5-cent coins in 1883 and did not appear again until production of the Jefferson nickel began in 1938. Since then, all U.S. coins have borne the motto.

The first paper currency bearing the motto entered circulation Oct. 1, 1957, when it appeared on the $1 silver certificate. Gradually, as new indigo printing processes were perfected, the motto was printed on all currency denominations. The initial idea of adding the motto to paper currency came from George Humphrey, Eisenhower’s treasury secretary.

Florida also adopted “In God We Trust” as its state motto under Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. The phrase now appears on the license plates of Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio.

In addition, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin offer “In God We Trust” specialty plates. Florida and Georgia, which display the county of issuance on their license plates, offer motorists the option of selecting “In God We Trust” in place of their county name.